Spectre: We Always Have a Choice

How do we decide what to do with our lives? How do we make important choices? This assembly reflects on the character of James Bond and the biblical story of Peter to consider the value of reflecting on who we are, of listening to the advice of others, and of making good choices.

The value of Individual Liberty is based on the notion that we are free and responsible for our own actions. But the values of Democracy and Rule of Law recognise that we are part of a society whereby we receive support from others. This assembly encourages pupils to consider how they can make good decisions, and take advice from others, knowing that they are not alone.

OPENING ACTIVITY

What’s My Line? (quiz)

Invite three volunteers to come to the front of the assembly and ask them to choose an occupation from the following list:

Chef

Police officer

Circus clown

Game tester

Pilot

Teacher

Hairdresser

Spy

Tell them that they must not reveal what they have chosen to the rest of the assembly, but must think of a short action to perform that demonstrates the job to the group. While they are thinking of an action, tell the rest of the assembly that after watching the action they may ask ‘yes/no/maybe’ questions to establish the occupation of the volunteers.

Time each volunteer and award a small prize to the person whose occupation is guessed fastest.

Alternatively, if students are reluctant to volunteer to come to the front and act, then you can use the What’s My Line PowerPoint as a quiz for the whole group.

[click] The person doing this job wears a uniform, sometimes involving a large hat.

[click] Sometimes this job is done on TV.

[click] This job involves food preparation and cooking.

[click] Answer: Chef.

[PowerPoint slide 2]

[click] The person doing this job would probably know more than one language.

[click] This job involves an ability to keep secrets.

[click] This job would involve working for the government.

[click] Answer: Spy.

[PowerPoint slide 3]

[click] In the past only tall people could apply for this job.

[click] This job requires the person to stay calm when fights break out.

[click] This job involves a knowledge of the law.

[click] Answer: Police officer.

[PowerPoint slide 4]

[click] This job involves travel and requires the person to work in a tent.

[click] The person doing this job would often wear make-up and a wig.

[click] This job may also involve an ability to perform magic tricks and comedy falls.

[click] Answer: Circus clown.

[PowerPoint slide 5]

[click] This job involves staying indoors all day.

[click] This job would require an ability to operate a computer.

[click] Lots of people who enjoy playing computer games might think this is a dream job.

[click] Answer: Game tester.

[PowerPoint slide 6]

[click] The person doing this job requires great eyesight.

[click] This job involves a lot of travel.

[click] The person doing this job wears a uniform and carries a small suitcase.

[click] Answer: Pilot.

[PowerPoint slide 7]

[click] This job makes a big difference to other people’s lives.

[click] This job involves an ability to stay calm and be able to communicate well.

[click] There are people doing this job in this room right now.

[click] Answer: Teacher.

[PowerPoint slide 8]

[click] This job involves creativity and a steady hand.

[click] This job requires the person to be able to chat to random people.

[click] This job involves removing something from the body of another person.

[click] Answer: Hairdresser.

FILM CLIP

Play the clip from Spectre (MGM/20th Century Fox, 2015, certificate 12A)

Start time: 01:26:00 (in chapter 19 of the DVD)

End time: 01:29:11

Clip length: 3 minutes and 11 seconds

The clip starts with a shot of the train moving across the desert then cuts to Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) saying, ’Good evening, sir. Sorry to interrupt your supper but we have some news.’ It ends with Bond (Daniel Craig) spotting his attacker approaching in the reflection of the ice bucket.

James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Dr. Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) are travelling on a train across the North African desert. At dinner, she asks him why any man would choose the life of a paid assassin. She then asks if it’s what he really wants, being hunted and alone. He replies that he’s not sure that he ever had a choice. She asks what would happen if he ever stopped to think about it. He replies that he doesn’t know. She tells him that she thinks he’s wrong as we always have a choice. They clink glasses and Bond spots an attacker approaching up the carriage.

There’s a story that is sometimes told about John Lennon, the famous musician and songwriter with The Beatles. Apparently, when Lennon was five and at primary school, he was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. He wrote down ’happy’ because his mum had always told him that happiness was the key to life. His teacher told him that he didn’t understand the question. John Lennon replied that the teacher didn’t understand life.

[PowerPoint slide 3]

The story probably did not actually happen, but it makes an interesting point. When we’re younger, we are often told that the only thing that really matters is that we’re happy in life, but once we get to secondary school, we suddenly find that we have to make choices about our education, our career and our future. It’s not enough to simply say that we want to be happy – we need to think about what we want to do with our lives, but it can be difficult to know which choices are the right ones for us. The teacher is right – it’s not enough just to be happy – but John Lennon is right, too – to make the right choices we need to know what makes happiness.

In the past, people didn’t have much choice about what to do with their lives – they usually did what their father or mother did, and their surnames may well have described what they did for a living. So, for example, if your name was Baker or Taylor or Thatcher, then you baked bread, sewed clothes or made roofs for a living. If you were a woman, you were expected to be a wife and mother, and you didn’t have many other options.

[PowerPoint slide 4]

Nowadays, career choices are more complicated. We all have choices to make about what we will study, and how we will earn a living. And our question today is: how do we decide what to do with our lives? To help us consider that, let’s watch a short clip about a man whose job is somewhat unconventional.

Play the clip from Spectre:

Start time: 01:26:00 (in chapter 19 of the DVD)

End time: 01:29:11

Clip length: 3 minutes and 11 seconds

The clip starts with a shot of the train moving across the desert then cuts to Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) saying, ’Good evening, sir. Sorry to interrupt your supper but we have some news.’ It ends with Bond (Daniel Craig) spotting his attacker approaching in the reflection of the ice bucket.

If you are unable to play the clip, say:

‘James Bond and Dr. Madeleine Swann are travelling on a train across the North African desert. At dinner, she asks him why any man would choose the life of a paid assassin. She then asks if it’s what he really wants, being hunted and alone. He replies that he’s not sure that he ever had a choice. She asks what would happen if he ever stopped to think about it. He replies that he doesn’t know. She tells him that she thinks he’s wrong as we always have a choice. They clink glasses and Bond spots an attacker approaching up the carriage and leaps into action.’

[PowerPoint slide 5]

James Bond is obviously a fictional character, but his job always seems exciting and glamorous, one that lots of people would like to have. In this clip we learn a little about how Bond really feels about what he does for a living. His life is so active that he has never stopped to think about why he has ended up as a paid assassin, and he doesn’t feel that he ever had a choice about it.

[PowerPoint slide 6]

Of course, James Bond is good at his job, he has the right strengths and abilities to do it well and he has trained in order to stay sharp, but we are left thinking that Madeleine might be right – we always have a choice about what we do, and perhaps if Bond had the opportunity to choose again, he wouldn’t choose to be a killer.

[PowerPoint slide 7]

Lots of people fall into jobs by accident. Perhaps they decide to do a job for a while in order to make some money, then discover that it’s hard to give up the income so they stay in a job that they don’t really like. Perhaps they study a particular course because their parents want them to have a particular career, even though it’s not what they’d really like to do. Perhaps they just end up doing something because there’s nothing else to do. When you are weighing up your options, it’s important to consider carefully how you want to live, and what jobs will be best suited to your personality, your skills and your character.

[PowerPoint slide 8]

There’s a story in the Bible about a man called Simon Peter whose job was to be a fisherman. He was probably a fisherman because his father had been a fisherman.

[PowerPoint slide 9]

But one day, he met someone who challenged him to stop and think about what he wanted to do with his life. Being a fisherman was a safe option for Simon Peter.

[PowerPoint slide 10]

He knew how to fish and the likelihood is that he had quite a profitable fishing business. He could easily have remained a fisherman for the rest of his days. Jesus offered Simon Peter a different way of life by performing a miracle and producing lots of fish.

[PowerPoint slide 11]

When Simon Peter realised what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, ‘Oh, Lord, please leave me – I’m such a sinful man.’ For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!’ And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. (Luke 5:8-11 NLT).

[PowerPoint slide 12]

Jesus invited Simon Peter to leave his business and follow him, and Simon did! Simon Peter went on to be one of Jesus’ disciples, or followers. From then on he dedicated his life to following Jesus and serving other people. He even wrote two letters that are part of the Bible. He chose to leave his safe job, and take a risk, and the job he ended up doing was much better suited to his personality, skills and character.

[PowerPoint slide 13]

When we’re faced with important decisions there are some important lessons we can learn from James Bond and Simon Peter. Firstly, it’s good to take time to reflect on who we are and what we really want. We can sometimes fill our lives with such a lot of noise and busyness that we feel trapped into making bad decisions. It’s important to make time to reflect. Secondly, it’s good to listen to advice. Simon Peter would never have thought of leaving his fishing job behind if Jesus hadn’t encouraged him to take a risk and offered him an alternative. When you have important decisions to make, get advice from people who know you well, and who can help you work out what to do. And thirdly, listen to what Madeleine said and remember that everyone has a choice. To make good choices about what you do with your life, who you spend it with and how you treat other people, you need to know who you are, and be determined to choose well.

When we’re younger, we are often told that the only thing that really matters is that we’re happy in life.

At secondary school, we have to make choices about our education, our career and our future.

In the past, people didn’t have much choice about what to do with their lives.

[PowerPoint slide 4]

How do we decide what to do with our lives?

A short clip about a man whose job is somewhat unconventional.

Play the clip from Spectre:

Start time: 01:26:00 (in chapter 19 of the DVD)

End time: 01:29:11

Clip length: 3 minutes and 11 seconds

The clip starts with a shot of the train moving across the desert then cuts to Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) saying, ’Good evening, sir. Sorry to interrupt your supper but we have some news.’ It ends with Bond (Daniel Craig) spotting his attacker approaching in the reflection of the ice bucket.

[PowerPoint slide 5]

James Bond’s job seems exciting and glamorous.

But Bond’s life is so active that he has never stopped to think about why he has ended up as a paid assassin.

He doesn’t feel that he ever had a choice about it.

[PowerPoint slide 6]

James Bond is good at his job.

He has the right strengths and abilities and has trained in order to stay sharp.

But Madeleine might be right – we always have a choice about what we do.

Perhaps if Bond had the opportunity to choose again, he wouldn’t choose to be a killer.

[PowerPoint slide 7]

Lots of people fall into jobs by accident.

Perhaps they decide to do a job for a while in order to make some money.

Perhaps they study a particular course because their parents want them to.

Perhaps they just end up doing something because there’s nothing else to do.

When you are weighing up your options, it’s important to consider carefully how you want to live.

Work out what jobs will be best suited to your personality, your skills and your character.

[PowerPoint slide 8]

Introduce Simon Peter.

Probably ran in the family.

[PowerPoint slide 9]

One day, he met someone who challenged him to stop and think about what he wanted to do with his life.

Fishing was a safe option.

[PowerPoint slide 10]

He could easily have remained a fisherman for the rest of his days.

Jesus offered Simon Peter a different way of life.

[PowerPoint slide 11]

When Simon Peter realised what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, ‘Oh, Lord, please leave me – I’m such a sinful man.’ For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!’ And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus (Luke 5:8-11 NLT).

[PowerPoint slide 12]

Jesus’ invitation:

Jesus invited Simon Peter to leave his business and follow him.

Simon did!

Simon Peter went on to be one of Jesus’ disciples.

From then on he dedicated his life to following Jesus and serving other people.

Even wrote two letters that are part of the Bible.

He chose to leave his safe job, and take a risk.

The job he ended up doing was much better suited to his personality, skills and character.

[PowerPoint slide 13]

Three important lessons we can learn from James Bond and Simon Peter.

It’s good to take time to reflect on who we are and what we really want.

It’s good to listen to advice.

Remember that everyone has a choice.

To make good choices about what you do with your life, who you spend it with and how you treat other people, you need to know who you are.